In a thrilling La Liga match on Sunday, Barcelona’s young talent Lamine Yamal stepped up with a brace to salvage a 3-3 draw against Granada, who are fighting relegation.
Xavi Hernandez’s Barcelona side sits third in the standings with 51 points, trailing second-placed Girona by five points, while league leaders Real Madrid stand tall with 61 points after thrashing Girona the day before.
Xavi expressed disappointment in dropping points, emphasizing the importance of the match. “Granada played smart and gave us a tough time,” he said in a post-match press conference. “It’s a blow to lose two points and miss a chance to narrow the gap. The league was already a challenge, and now it’s even tougher. However, we won’t give up. We had opportunities to seal the win, but unfortunately, we couldn’t capitalize on them. We showed spirit and determination, but it wasn’t sufficient. We have to keep pushing.”
Yamal opened the scoring for Barcelona in the 14th minute, capitalizing on Joao Cancelo’s cross to tap in from close range. Granada leveled just before halftime with a stunning volley from Ricard Sanchez. In the second half, Facundo Pellistri and Robert Lewandowski exchanged goals to make it 2-2, before Ignasi Miquel nodded Granada ahead. However, Yamal struck again with a brilliant long-range effort to ensure a share of the spoils.
Reflecting on his performance, the 16-year-old Yamal remained focused on the team’s result. “It’s frustrating to drop points, and that’s my primary concern right now,” he said to Movistar. “We’ve been conceding goals too easily all season, which we urgently need to address. But plenty of the league season remains, and we’ll keep fighting till the end.”
